Bond of the Guardians
by Nintendo Queen
Summary: Pitch is defeated, and the guardians are getting back to their routines. E. Aster Bunnymund is readying to redeem Easter again when a new foe appears to destroy hope once and for all. All the while, he is attempting to work with their newest guardian, Jack, as well as understand his relationship with Toothiana. ToothxBunny, Post Movie
1. Chapter 1

**I finally got to see Rise of the Guardians and I am excited to know I'm not the only one who likes the pairing of Tooth/Bunny. So, hey, fanfiction time!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Rise of the Guardians.**

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_**Bond of the Guardians**_

**Chapter One**

The Warren's looking good…all my little googies are safely bundled up and Easter will be coming 'round the corner in a matter of a few weeks. It's certainly been a bloody good time getting back into the swing of it after the mess Pitch made of my holiday last year.

But, there is no sign of that rat bag, and now we're all getting back to work. 'Course Jack's gone and made a couple of blizzards for me to deal with (thanks for that one, you bloody show pony) and the others merely laugh it off and let him run rampart. Well, rather, Santa gives that old belly laugh of his and turns a blind eye, Sandman remains silent as ever, though hardly seems to bat an eyelash, and Tooth... Needless to say, everything that kid does just charms the ever loving daylights out of her and her wee fairies.

I personally don't see why she swoons over the boy, especially since he's such a wandering, reckless child most of the time, but I suppose it really isn't any business of mine. I've got a holiday to prepare for, after all, then a year to enjoy myself and see some more of the world. Even the Easter Bunny takes some time off to travel, mates.

"Aster!" My ears instinctively give a twitch and I move toward one of the tunnels at the familiar voice. There's only one living creature that refers to me by my middle name… Toothiana appears a few moments later, a beaming smile on her face.

"G'day, Toothiana. What brings you to the Warren?" Tooth is really the only guardian who comes to visit once in a while, but it's still pretty rare to see her down here. My Warren isn't exactly the easiest place to find, though I keep a few passages ready in case any of them need to find me right quick. Just as a courtesy.

"It's little Sophie! She lost her first tooth!" she squeals, her feathers ruffling with excitement and I can't help but chuckle as she goes on about the specific tooth and the method of which she lost it.

"Is that right? So the little ankle biter's growing up, eh?"

"I came to see if you wanted to come with me to collect her tooth!" Toothiana says, her eyes practically glowing with delight. Some days I'm honestly surprised she's the guardian of memories, rather than the guardian of enthusiasm and energy or something along those lines.

"I dunno, Toothy, I don't want to get in the way of your tooth collecting."

"Oh nonsense! Remember last year? You were one of the best teeth collectors out of us! And it's been a while since we've seen Sophie or Jamie."

"Alright, alright. I'll join ya." She let out a happy squeal and flipped in the air.

"This is going to be such fun!" I chuckle and she flies out the tunnel again, waving at me and telling me to come by the palace in a couple of hours. Well, this ought to be an adventure, if nothing else. And it would be nice to see that little ankle biter and her brother again.

Well, since I'll be going out, I figure I may as well leave the Warren for a bit before heading to the Palace. I dash out of one of my trusty tunnels, running up to the surface to catch the sun setting at the Uluru site. I tell you, mates, it's quite a sight to behold. I never tire of seeing it.

The air is nippy with the last threads of winter cold but the sun provides warm, vivid bands of yellow and orange in the purple and pink night sky. I take a seat in some soft grass and enjoy the brisk wind as the last remnants of the sun fade under the horizon line.

Once it grows dark, I take another tunnel to the location of Tooth's palace. Now, granted, her palace is well hidden above the clouds, but there is a route I can take to the mountain, it's just a bit sticky when I have to actually climb up the rest of the way, but it's not like I'm forced to do it every bloody day…thank heavens for that.

I pop up and the familiar wall of rock greets me and he let out a little puff of air before grabbing at the rough stones and beginning my decent up. The mountain acts like a shield - the clouds hide the actual path to her palace, concealing it within the valley. The area within the mountains holding up her palace is too unstable for me to tunnel directly to, so I settle for climbing.

Don't get me wrong, mates, if I wanted to tunnel straight there I certainly could. But I don't object to the climb, and it really is the safer route, if you can believe it. So long as I don't…look…down…

Shivering, I continue on and finally find the small cavern that hides the stairway up into the heart of her palace. She's quite cunning, Toothiana. The odds of a human ever finding this place are zero to none, but if they ever did, the caverns automatically change whenever anyone enters them, and they move to eject intruders unless you know the little trick to get through.

There's a small, silver stone shaped like a tooth on the ceiling, so miniscule that it is near impossible to notice. But, if you remove it from the ceiling, it will unveil the stairway to her palace. And, by Jove, it surely is quite charming; all gold with various minerals in the walls, much like her palace itself.

The climb up the stairs is a breeze and I eventually arrive to my destination.

Her little fairies whiz by, a few squeaking a greeting at me before continuing on with their tasks; undoubtedly they've got their hands full with teeth collecting today. Toothiana is in the midst of her fairies, excitedly chanting out the teeth and their locations and directing each fairy to their destination.

I tread up, waiting til she takes a moment to catch her breath before clearing my throat. She spins and beams, flying down to my level in an instant.

"Aster! Good to see you."

"Aye. You certainly have your hands full, dontcha, mate?" She giggles a bit and nods.

"Yup! Now that all those candy-infested holidays are over, the kids are losing teeth left and right! I can hardly keep up." I chuckle a bit at her zeal.

"Well, are we the only ones heading off to visit little Sophie?" She nodded.

"Sandy's got to make dreams tonight, North's having some kind of problem with these paintball robots making a mess out of the pole, and I couldn't find Jack."

"Really now?" I know I shouldn't be happy that Jack isn't tagging along, but I can't say I'm not pleased with the news. Nothing much against the kid, I do like him well enough, he just likes getting under my fur some days like an annoying rash or mite.

"So it'll just be the two of us! Baby Tooth, you're in charge while I'm gone!" she calls and Baby Tooth nods and squeaks out to the rest of the fairies. "Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go!"

She flies off for the exit at full speed and I follow her, keeping up with relative ease. Toothiana is gushing on about various teeth along the way, but I honestly don't mind it. Her endless chatter and energy are honestly quite amusing from time to time. It is who she is, and I really would hate to see her any other way.

Truth be told, seeing her at her lowest point last year helped me see how I would hate to see her, or any of my fellow guardians, change at all. As much as North or Jack can annoy me, they're best off as they are.

"Aster, keep up, you're falling behind!" she chides.

"Oy, sorry mate. Just daydreaming!" I call back, quickening my pace.

"Daydreaming? About what?"

"Eh, nothing too specific." She merely glances at me curiously before shrugging it off and we continue on until we get through the cave. Tooth agrees to take a tunnel to Sophie's and it becomes a bit of a race between us. I'll admit, she's probably the fastest guardian next to me, but I don't plan to go easy on her tonight and outrun her.

"No fair!" she protests with a pout and I merely laugh a bit.

"Don't be a sore loser now, Toothy." She makes a face and we both head up to Sophie's room, where the little one is curled up, snuggling a giant stuffed rabbit and breathing softly. She hasn't changed much, except for having her hair cut off a bit shorter.

I feel a fond smile spread on my mouth and Tooth reaches over with gentle care, plucking the small tooth from under her pillow and sliding a shiny quarter underneath. She observes the little gem in her hands with a warm smile that seems almost motherly and curls her fingers over it before looking over at Sophie.

"It's a little sad to think she's already growing up. This is such a special time, being so young," she whispers.

"Aye. But at the same time, it's nice seeing how these kids grow and what they learn along the way. Someday, she and Jamie will be all grown up, and maybe they'll each have their own ankle biters for us to protect."

"I hope they do." We sit there quietly, observing Sophie as memories of our time with her last year resurface. While that whole ordeal was an awful, trying mess, we did get to experience some new, wonderful things as well. It really did remind us what it truly meant to be a guardian, and how precious these children really were.

"We better be off soon," I finally whisper and she nods.

"Want to see Jamie before we go?"

"Sure." We both manage to creep into Jamie's room and find him dead asleep as well. The tooth he lost in the sleigh accident grew back, but he lost another one in the back and it's only half grown.

"He only has three more baby teeth to lose before his box is filled," Tooth sighs, smiling sadly. "I'll miss collecting his teeth. His memories are some of the dearest in our library."

"We owe a lot to him. He saved us."

"Yes. He's a good kid. I hope that never changes." She hovers over him quietly, stroking his hair gently. I watch her when a soft noise from outside the window catches my attention. I look out to see wings flapping as a dark bird flies away and Tooth turns her attention to the window. "What is it?"

"Nothing. Thought I saw something, but it was just a bird." She nodded and looked down at Jamie again before flying over to me.

"We should probably go, it's getting late."

"Yeah, you're right." We slip out of the house unnoticed and walked outside together. "Thank you for inviting me along."

"Thank you for coming with me," she says, bowing her head a bit. "Do you want to come back to the palace for some tea?"

"Sounds nice." I tap the ground with my foot and we embark toward her palace again, Tooth determined to redeem herself in another race. (But of course, I win again) Her fairies greet us both and resume their work as she leads me to a small hall that takes us to her kitchen. It's not nearly as breathtakingly wondrous as the rest of her palace, but quite quaint and comfortable.

Tooth gestures to one of the silk cushions and I plop down as she begins to brew some tea in a blue and green teapot she got from China (at least, I think it was China…).

"Good news, Aster, I still have some carrot cake."

"Heh, how long have you had that, love?" She blushes slightly as she looks thoughtful.

"Er…well…not too…terribly long…" she trails off, tapping her fingers to her lips. The pot begins to whistle as the water comes to a boil and she quickly brews the tea for us and flies the pot over with two matching cups, pouring it.

"Thank you, Toothy." She nods and looks at a plate of carrot cake with slight concerns and I grin a bit, plucking a piece off the plate. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, eh?" I asked, grinning a bit as I lift up my cup. "Cheers." She giggles and clinks her cup to mine.

"Cheers." We each drink the tea and I take a bite of the cake. Yeah, it certainly has gone quite stale, so it's rather dry and tasteless…but I finish the piece off to be polite and enjoy the rest of my tea. Tooth always adds a bit of honey to my cup, just as I like it. "Are you planning anything extraordinary for Easter this year?"

"Twice as many eggs and making them look even better than usual. I suppose it isn't too grand, but it's something. I know how you hate us distributing more candy to them." She makes a face.

"Yes! And I thank you sincerely for not giving them more of that saccharine coated garbage that ruins all those lovely little teeth." She shuddered a bit as I'm sure she recalled some of the rotting, yellowing messes she'd had to extract from under pillows in the past and I can't help but start laughing. "H-hey! What are you laughing at?!" she shrills, her feathers ruffling as her face flushes.

"S-sorry, Tooth. I just thought the face you made was a bit of a riot is all." Her blush deepens and she glares at me as I attempt to stop laughing, but to very little avail.

"Alright, enough already! It wasn't that funny!" she cries and I only laugh harder at her. I can't help it. If you could only see the way she reacts, I'm certain you'd have a good laugh too. She huffs and flies up, shoving me down and I am finally able to get a grip again and merely smirk up at her flushed, pouting face.

"Lighten up, love." I pick myself back up when Baby Tooth flies in, twittering and squeaking anxiously and Tooth looks up and gasps slightly.

"Aster…we might have a problem." I blink and look up to see the end of those familiar rainbow lights casting their curtain in the sky and cringe slightly.

"That can't be good…"

"Come on!" We both take off for the pole with a few of Tooth's fairies following us.

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**And that'll be all for this chapter. Please review, but no flames. I always appreciate constructive criticism, but issue it with respect. Thank you!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you all for your reviews, they were very encouraging. And so, here we are with the second chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Rise of the Guardians.**

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**Chapter Two**

"Northy, what's happening?" Toothiana asks as she flies into the globe's room at the Pole. I straighten up next to her, crossing my arms over my chest as Santa turns to look at us. Sandman and Jack are near him, Sandman's face drooping a bit with concern and Jack's expression somewhat nonchalant, but with a hint of anxiety hidden in the depths of his eyes.

"Is it Pitch again?" I ask and Santa shakes his head, sighing a bit.

"No, no. My friends, the reason I have called you all here…it is not something we've ever faced before," the large, Russian announces in his gruff tone and I quirk a brow at him.

"So what exactly is the reason, mate?" I asked, my arms instinctively crossing over my chest and Santa sighs slightly, running a hand through his silvery-white hair.

"Well…I'm not entirely sure how to describe it. There I was, chasing the last of those blasted paintball bots the elves were playing with, when I heard a loud bird screech. Naturally, I think I'm imagining things, since the closest thing to birds that visit here are Sandy's magic sand birds. But, I keep hearing it. And when I go to investigate it, a giant, black bird suddenly bursts through the roof and it showers black feathers all over the place!"

"Uh-huh," I sigh, convinced the old man has finally, bloody lost whatever's left of his mind.

"And, well, all of the elves and yetis that touched the feathers before they disappear…come and see for yourselves." Tooth and I exchange glances before following Santa through the workshop to a large, infirmary style room where a number of yetis and elves are lying on beds and shivering slightly.

I peer over at them and see their eyes are frighteningly glassy and directed straight up at the ceiling.

"Crikey…what happened to them?"

"We can't figure that out. They touched those black feathers and fell over in this state, and the other feathers disappeared. Nothing we do snaps them out of it…" Santa mumbles, his fists clenching slightly and Tooth waves her hand in front of the eyes of a yeti, but it doesn't move aside from the slight shivering.

"I've never heard of a bloody bird that can do what you're suggesting. It must've been Pitch!"

"But how could Pitch learn to do something like this in such a short time?" Jack asks.

"As I recall, last year you learned a few new tricks in a short span of time yourself, mate. Who's to say Pitch didn't get a stroke of luck?" I ask, smirking knowingly at Jack who frowns slightly at my point. Sandman makes sand in the shape of a crescent moon appear over his head and Santa claps his hands together.

"Of course! We will ask Man in Moon! He knew about Pitch, surely he will know what caused this."

"Do you think he'll answer us?" Jack asks as we follow Santa back out to the globe's room and stand around the Guardian circlet.

"Of course, Jack! If there is a threat rising, Manny will know and warn us so we can act quickly." I cast my gaze up to the sky and the moon begins to move over the hole in the roof, casting its light down to the circlet. "Old friend, please tell us, what is the creature that attacked here?" Santa calls, extending his arms out and I can't help but wonder why he's always so bloody dramatic. It's times like this I wish the Man in the Moon would comment on something that isn't business related.

The moonbeams create a wide, ray of light upon the circlet and a shapeless shadow forms in the center before rising up and creating a giant, winged creature, no dissimilar to a raven. Its eyes leer straight at me and I can't help feeling a bit unnerved by the unnaturally, piercing shade of red. It screeches viciously before exploding into a series of smaller ravens that descend upon a town and causing the buildings to crumble before the vision vanishes.

"What exactly was that?" Jack asks, narrowing his eyes a bit and Santa strokes his chin, frowning.

"I'm not sure…but it looks like, whatever it was, it was not a fan of Bunny."

"Hey, you don't know that! It could've merely been a coincidence," I snort.

"Still, my friends, this is a sign that a new enemy is rising. We must prepare ourselves for an attack." I groan and lightly smack my forehead.

"Great…always before bloody Easter. Can these foes show a bit of courtesy and take turns ruining holidays?! I've already got Pitch's mess to clean up after."

"Bunny, calm down. We won't let Easter suffer again this year. Now, my fellow Guardians, we should all return to our usual routines. Last year Pitch caught us off-guard and was able to attack us each directly. This year, we know what to be aware of and how to fight back!"

"But this isn't Pitch we're dealing with. How do we know this enemy won't take us out one-by-one?" I ask.

"Come now, Bunny, surely you have enough confidence in us that we can defend ourselves should such an occasion arise, yes?" I roll my eyes and scratch behind my ear with my back leg. Hey, what's the fun in scratching with your front paws when you're flexible enough to use the back ones?

"Right, right. Well, if any of you blokes need me, I'll be preparing for Easter."

"Yes, yes. Go paint your little eggs, Bunny." I shoot Santa a dirty look before forming a tunnel and leaping inside, racing off towards my Warren. The place is untouched, just as I left it before going to see Toothiana, so I decide to curl up for a short rest before getting back to it.

Unfortunately, my dreams are filled with those cursed ravens and the bad feeling I get in the pit of my stomach when I sense something terrible is about to happen lingers throughout the night and well into the next day…

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A week passes without any words from the other Guardians so I focus on preparing my beautiful little googies and making a plethora of chocolates and other sweets I'm certain the little ankle biters will swarm over. It's been a pleasantly slow paced, comfortable week for me when I suddenly get hit by that feeling that something is off…

I move up to the hill and my ears twitch as I sniff at the air, narrowing my eyes a bit. My senses are pretty acute, so I don't suffer from too much paranoia but…I cannot smell or hear anything at all, so I'm wondering why I feel this dread that something is about to come at me out of nowhere.

"Am I going bloody berko?" I grumble after waiting a few more ticks to detect something. Still, I get the feeling it might be a good time to see if the other guardians have found out any news about this apparent, new enemy of ours and take a tunnel back to the Pole in a lick of a second.

I hop up through the tunnel and race for the workshop to avoid getting frostbite on my feet and make inside, bouncing up and down as I pat the snow and ice from my paws.

"Urgh North, you couldn't have picked a warmer spot to hide this place?" I grumble, treading through the building when I begin to sense that something is very wrong.

There's nothing in the building…no elves, no yetis, no toys flying around. The entire place is completely still…and in the centuries I've known Santa Claus, this place is always brimming with life and magic and energy.

"North?" I call out, hopping forward and looking around for a sign of life in the place when I hear soft sobs echoing through the air and my ears give a twitch. "Hello?" Nobody answers as I continue moving around the globe, which is completely dark and motionless. The sobbing is growing louder and it almost sounds familiar…

I come to the door to Santa's private office and push it open. It creaks softly as it swings open and the office is empty too, aside from a desk in the center with a small, wrapped box. My instincts tell me to get the heck out of there, but I move toward the desk tentatively and pick up the box.

The sobbing continues around me and I sniff at the box experimentally, only to find that it had absolutely no scent. Come to think of it, this entire place has no scent at all…

I pull the ribbon and the box suddenly falls from my paw and lands on the hard, wooden floor, a series of black feathers exploding out and surrounding me like a black fog. It's suffocating at first, but fades away as quickly as it came, leaving me in a large, grassy clearing in a forest.

"Where am I?"

The sobbing suddenly continues and I flinch before turning before I see a series of children, walking towards me in tears.

"H-hey, what's happened now? Why the tears?" I ask. I recognize one of the children as Sophie and she's holding a basket low to the ground as she wipes at her face with her sleeve. I crouch down and peer at her sad little face. "Hey now, why are you upset now?"

"Easter Bunny…" she mumbles through her hiccups before she holds up her basket and I see broken, dirty egg shells with worms crawling all over them and I take half a step back in surprise.

"By jingoes!"

"This was the worst Easter egg hunt…" one of the other children says miserably and I spin around.

"W-wait. Hold on a second, I can still fix it, mates. I-I just need a bit of time, and I'll bring a whole new set of googies that'll blow you all away."

"It's all ruined…that's two Easters in a row."

"Easter Bunny, why didn't you come this year?"

"Wait, I'm right here, mate!" I say quickly, hopping over to the little boy and reaching out to him. "See? I'm right in front of y-" I gasp in horror as my paw goes right through his shoulder and stumble back onto the grass, which is browning rapidly as the children begin to disappear. "This can't be real…it's gotta be a dream."

A bird's screech catches my attention and I look up to see a raven perched in the tree above me, leering down with its red eyes before I grab at my head.

"It's not real, not real. Just imagining it all…"

"_Aster?"_

More ravens appear around me and begin their screeching again and I curl up, my ears dropping against the sides of my head and I press them against my fur to try and drown out the noise.

"_Aster!"_

I feel something grab at me and shake and I want to try and strike at them to get them to stop, but I can't move my paws. I can't move anything as I feel like I'm being sucked into a dark hole where the air grows thinner and thinner until I can't even breathe anymore.

"ASTER!"

My eyes fly open and I find myself staring into Toothiana's wide, pink eyes that are riddled with concern.

"T-Tooth?"

"Are you alright? I came to check on you and you were lying on the ground, not moving at all and looking terrified in your sleep."

"I-I just…I had a bad dream is all." She flutters next to me, looking slightly unconvinced and I force a smile onto my face. "I'm alright, Toothy. Anyway, are you sure it's safe for you to be here?"

"My fairies will be alright for just a little while. I made sure Baby Tooth was in charge and warned her about what the Man in the Moon said. If they think anything dangerous might happen, they have a place to hide until I can get there to help them."

"Alright…if you're sure, mate. I'd hate for anything else to happen to your little ones."

"Thanks, Aster."

"So….I imagine there's no news about what exactly we're supposed to be looking out for?" Tooth sighs and shakes her head.

"No. Nothing out-of-the-ordinary is happening, and there's nothing indicating that children aren't believing in us anymore."

"That's good."

"North's got Jack patrolling around the globe along with Sandman, so they will hopefully figure out what might be happening, if anything."

"I just hope, whatever it is, we deal with it quickly. After last year, I never want to be in such a pickle again." Toothiana giggles and nods.

"Yes, definitely. So how are the preparations for Easter coming along?"

"Not too shabby, if I do say so myself. Got a whole mess of treats ready to go and some of my most beautiful looking googies ever." Toothiana gives me that look she always gives whenever I mention sweets or anything that has the potential to ruin teeth, but she smiles.

"That's good. Will you need any help this year?"

"Are you offering, mate?" I ask, smiling a bit.

"Well, it was fun helping you get ready for Easter last year. And I'm sure a few of my fairies would like to see it all too."

"I certainly won't stop you from coming by and helping me. Just so long as you promise not to try and destroy all of my chocolates like you attempted a few years back." She blushed at the memory and made a face.

"That year cavities were off the charts! And you can't blame a girl for trying." I chuckle and shake my head.

"I actually can." She lightly pushes my arm when a cool wind blows in out of nowhere, followed by Jack. "Oy, you could give a bit of a warning!" I complain, shivering a bit. Yeah, cold isn't exactly my cup of tea.

"Sorry, Bunny, but we have a bit of an emergency."

"What's wrong, Jack?" Toothiana asks.

"I think you'd better come with me and see…" The three of us leave the Warren through one of my tunnels and Jack leads us to Sophie and Jamie's house, only to find that the entire house is in ashes.

"Crickey…"

"This is awful!" Toothiana cries, pressing her hands to her mouth.

"How'd this happen?"

"I'm not sure…but this isn't the only thing like this to happen in the area."

"What do you mean, Jack?"

"A lot of houses are having terrible misfortune…fires, robberies, you name it. And all of the houses involves have children in them…"

"Is this the work of a human or…?" Tooth trails off and Jack shakes his head.

"I doubt it's a human."

"Do Sandy and North know yet?"

"Sandman went to tell Santa. So far, this is the only town we've seen a lot of bad things happening in, but I get the feeling this is just the start."

"What about the children? Are they alright, are they hurt?" Toothiana asked worriedly, wringing her hands together.

"They're not hurt…but they aren't acting like themselves. All of the children we've seen hit by these events are almost in a trance. They barely respond to anything and are quiet and nothing cheers them up."

"Do you mean like the yetis and elves in the workshop?" Toothiana asks.

"Not quite in that state, but it is similar."

"What exactly is this mysterious enemy attempting to accomplish here?" I growl and Jack frowns.

"All's I know is, if this keeps up, we may have a harder task on our hands than getting children to believe in us again."

"Yes, because getting them all to believe in us again was a walk in the park."

"Bunny, be nice," Tooth scolds gently and Jack gives me a smug smirk which, quite frankly, gave me the urge to pop him in the jaw. "Anyway, let's go see Santa and see what he has to say."

"Right."

"I guess," I sigh before tapping the ground with my foot and leaping into my tunnel.

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**And so ends the next chapter. I hope you all liked it, and reviews are appreciated but no flames. Thank you!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed your holiday, and hooray for the world not ending! So, I come with a new chapter. Hope you all enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Rise of the Guardians.**

**Chapter Three**

"Oy, North!" I call as we jump out of the tunnel and traipse into the toy shop. Santa's staring up at the globe, his hands folded behind his back and Toothiana flies over to him, resting her hand on his shoulder.

"Sandy told you?" she asks and he sighs heavily before nodding.

"This new enemy…they are far more aggressive than I ever imagined. Whatever they are planning may be worse than Pitch's schemes." Tooth visibly gulps and her feathers ruffle with anxiety as Jack steps forward.

"Come on, Santa, we can take em!"

"We have to find out who they are first, mate," I sigh. "It's not very possible to take on a brute you can't see or confront in any way."

"I'd say that's up for debate, Bunny."

"Not really in the mood for a debate, mate."

"Both of you, enough!" Santa grunts, shaking his head a bit. "This new enemy, whoever, whatever they may be is clearly very dangerous, and they are attacking the children directly, no doubt to get to us."

"But…whatever they're doing isn't stopping the children from believing in us, so…"

"But by hurting the children, we are failing as guardians, Jack," Santa says, his body immediately showing signs of depression at the thought and I see Sandman and Tooth shrink a bit with the same dejection.

"Alright, why don't we think this through a bit? It would seem that this shonky mongrel isn't strong enough to branch out yet, so he's warming up back in that town. We'll just have to watch the rest of the little ankle biters before he can cause more damage, yeah?"

"Bunny's right. If we are all there to watch, surely we can find this new enemy and stop him before he causes more damage!"

"Well what are we standing around here for? Let's go!" Jack declares and Santa claps his large hands together, laughing.

"Yes! Guardians, to the sleigh!" he bellows and I immediately inch back nervously.

"Ah, no thanks, mate. I think I'll just take the tunnels and-" Santa grabs me by the fur at the scruff of the neck and drags me (kicking and screaming, mind you) to that blasted sleigh of his and tosses me in like a sack of potatoes. I'll be sure to make his next tunnel ride extra bumpy next time…

Sandy takes the spot to my left and Toothiana giggles as she gracefully seats herself next to me and I can only shoot her a dirty look as Jack takes up the rear and Santa climbs into the front, grabbing the reigns of those wicked looking monsters he calls reindeer.

Oy, I tell you, they're nothing like those cute little reindeer I see kids watching on TV around Christmas time. These things would gladly stomp on your face and then some…

I give an instinctive shudder at the notion and Sandman looks at me curiously, but Santa whips the reigns and I get a bit of whiplash as we charge forward without much warning. The bloody, old Russian is guffawing to no end as we speed through those wretched ice tunnels and we fly out into the sky, me gripping the sleigh for dear life.

Tooth pats my arm but it doesn't do much to ease me, seeing that heights are absolutely abhorrent to me. Don't know what exactly started this little phobia of mine, but I'm not ashamed to admit that I loathe heights…and flying is even worse! I can at least handle being up in a high place if I'm not moving…sometimes…

"Aw, Bunny, no need to be so afraid. It's not like the sled will tip over or crash into a mountain and send you plummeting dow-"

"Thank you, Frost!" I snap up at him, my claws digging deeper into my seat as my entire body grows even tenser from my nerves. I knew I should have taken the tunnels! Santa throws his snow globe and we fly through the portal and land in the forest clearing Jack calls home. Santa parks the sleigh behind some trees and I'm shaking as I attempt to climb out of the sleigh and hold down the salad I ate earlier.

"Enjoy the ride, Bunny?" Santa chuckles, clapping me on the back and knocking me down onto my front.

"Rack off!" I snap up at him as I manage to stand up again, leering over at that bloody sleigh. Never…again…

Sandman moves ahead of us and gestures for us to follow, and we all trial after him and slip quietly into the town. The sun's barely up and the people are slowly beginning to return to their homes for the evening. We all remain out of sight, hiding behind cars and bushes and other things of the sort.

I sniff at the air, my ears twitching for anything sounding unusual. Gradually, the street lights flicker on and the streets are nearly barren as the sun vanishes and the moon appears with his watchful eyes.

Everything is quiet here and we all wander around the area. Santa takes to the city, Sandman watches the parks, Jack takes some neighborhoods in the west, Toothiana takes the east, and I look over what remains.

There's something strange in the wind, and it gives me that feeling in the pit of my stomach that something isn't quite right, but nothing strange appears to be happening. I can't smell anything or hear anything. It's just a feeling…and I'm not sure how reliable that is.

_Rustle_

I perk up, my ears twitching at the sound and I hop up onto a rooftop, grabbing my boom-a-rangs as quick as a whip. The silence greets me, but then I hear it again in the trees nearby and move towards them quickly.

It's dark in the treetops, so I can't make out what's moving but the stranger part is that there is no scent… If it were a squirrel or a bird or something of that sort, I'd be able to tell. But I can't smell a thing in that tree.

Narrowing my eyes, I send one of my boom-a-rangs flying through the leaves to try and chase out whatever's making that noise and a large black raven swoops down, its beak wide open as it screeches menacingly, baring its feet as it dives toward me.

I manage to duck down and it swoops over my head, flying up toward the sky and I grit my teeth as I fire my other boom-a-rang at it, barely missing the wing.

"Get back here, you little earbash!" I chase that blasted raven, shooting exploding eggs at it, but never managing to land a hit on it. It flies until we reach an alley and it lands on the wall, peering down at me with red eyes. "Annoying little bugger…why don't you come down here so I can rip those nasty feathers off your tail?" It screeches again, spreading its wings and I suddenly hear more screeching…coming from all around me.

There are literally hundreds of those wicked birds circling me and I begin to hear the faint sound of laughter within the screeches and it sends chills down my spine.

"What is this?!" The birds swarm and I have no place to run as they surround me like a black cloud. For everyone one I fling off, three more jump onto me with their sharp claws and beaks digging into my skin.

"_Hope…must…die…"_

That's the last thing I remember before everything went completely dark. The next thing I saw was Sandman and Santa peering down at me, looking worried.

"Bunny, are you alright? What happened to you?"

"R-ravens…where'd they go?!" I say, springing up and looking around frantically. Sandman looks at Santa in confusion and a sand raven appears above his head along with a question mark.

"Ravens? What are you talking about, Bunny? There are no ravens here."

"B-but I saw them! They were everywhere, all around me! I thought I was a goner!" Sandman and Santa exchange concerned glances and Santa helps me up.

"What do you remember?"

"I was…I was looking around when I heard a noise. I followed it to a tree, but I couldn't smell anything so I tried to chase it out with a boom-a-rang and this giant raven dived at me and tried to clip my ears off. I chased the little devil here and before I knew it I was surrounded! Hundreds of them, all screeching and ready to attack. They swarmed all over the place and I heard someone laughing…"

"Laughing?"

"It was…I don't even know how to describe it. Dark and evil…it almost felt like a presence. And then a voice…'hope must die.'"

"Do you think this new villain is targeting you, Bunny?"

"Crickey, I hope not…"

"We'd better tell the others about this."

"What good will it do? We still don't know who is doing this."

"Perhaps not, but now we know that they are using ravens, like the one in the vision show to us by Man in Moon."

"I just don't see why ravens are such a threat to children…it just doesn't make sense."

"Well, regardless, we'd better get going. It will be daytime soon."

"I was out that long?"

"I'm afraid so, my friend."

"Terrific…" I follow the two and go to find Jack and Toothiana, those three words clanging around inside my brain mercilessly.

Hope must die.

How in the world was that even supposed to happen? Hope is something that will always exist, it's impossible to kill! Even if you manage to destroy Easter, hope is still a part of everyone. It's sewn into our hearts, and if there's even a small glimmer of hope, it can help us push through the most unbearable obstacles.

It had to be a bluff! Whoever this fool was, they clearly had no idea how in over their head they were.

As we continued on, I heard movement nearby and paused.

"Hey, did you hear that?"

"It was just the wind, Bunny. We don't have time for this."

"No, mate, I swear I heard something over there."

"Bunny, you're just paranoid. I promise you, there was nothing. Right Sandman?" Sandman nods and I sigh, shaking my head.

"Perhaps you're right…"

"We need to hurry and find Jack and Tooth."

"Well they can't be too far off. I'm sure wherever Jack went, Tooth managed to find her way over to him somehow. You know how smitten she is," I say with a natural roll of the eyes. Not even sure why I rolled my eyes, it just felt necessary.

"Perhaps so. Come! We'll get a better view from the air."

"Oh no you don't, mate. I'll stay on the ground, thank you!" I snap, hopping away as quickly as I can to go and find the two before Santa can grab me again. I continue on down the streets, the sky beginning to turn orange with the sun's light as I listen for the sounds of their voices or for the little flutter of Toothiana's wings.

I finally hear something and continue forward.

"Tooth? Jack?"

I hear giggling and the soft fluttering of her wings and hop through the brush.

"Oy, what are you two doing?" I snap irritably as I spot the two in a garden together, Toothiana giggling as Jack grins up at her, playing with his staff. The two don't acknowledge me and Jack holds up a basket filled with plain looking eggs and Toothiana beams.

"Wow, Jack, you're even better at painting eggs than Bunnymund!"

"What?! How is that better? He just splashed a bit of blue on em and called it a day!"

"Well, I always thought I'd be a better Easter spirit than him. I'm still working on a name, but it'll come eventually."

"Excuse me?! Want to say that to my face?!" I snap, storming up to the little brat, beating one paw against the other threateningly. "I'm talking to you!" I growl, pushing at him only to have my arm go through his shoulder. "W-what?!"

"Oh Jack, Easter will be so much better without Bunny! You'll be wonderful."

"Yes, a better guardian too," Santa bellows as he enters the garden. "Joy and hope go hand-in-hand, don't you think, Sandy?" Sandman nods with a broad grin and the four of them laugh as I attempt to get their attention, only to merely pass through them like a ghost.

"This isn't happening…how can they not see me?"

"Because hope is dead…" a dark voice whispers and I freeze as everything around me disappears into a black shroud and I turn around slowly.

"Who exactly are you?"

"Does that really matter?" the shadow whispers, circling around me like a snake.

"Actually, it does," I state curtly, narrowing my eyes. "You've been making a bloody mess of things as of late, and I'd like to know why!"

"Well, if it's a name you seek, I suppose I can humor you, little rabbit."

"What'd you call me?!" The shadow moves forward, remaining hidden in the fog butt I manage to see a pair of eyes that…I can't call them grey because it feels as though they are void of color. It looks grey, but yet it doesn't…they look empty, and it's so unnatural and terrifying, that I cannot even attempt to speak again.

"I'll only ever say it once, so do try to remember. I am Lord Predias. My plans and purpose are not to be disclosed to you yet, Guardian of Hope…but rest assured, you will learn soon enough what I have in store for you."

"Coward! Face me, instead of hiding behind your bloody smoke and mirrors!" I growl, forcing myself to move toward the eyes, only to find a pile of black feathers and to hear laughter around me.

"All in due time, guardian. For now, I advise preparing yourself for my arrival…unless you are willingly ready to let Easter die twice."

"Is that a threat?!"

"No…it's a promise."

"Why you!" Before I can attempted to attack again, the ground under my feet shatters like glass and I find myself falling until I sit up and find myself back at the Pole, lying on a bed with the other guardians surrounding me.

"Bunny! Are you alright?!" Santa cries frantically.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. How long was I out?"

"A few hours…we were starting to worry you wouldn't wake up," Tooth says softly and I rub my forehead, sighing.

"I think I have a better idea who this wanker is…"

"You do?" Santa asked, his eyebrows going up in surprise.

"Yeah…he keeps on doing this to me, knocking me out and giving me dreams filled with despair. He told me his name was Lord Predias…and he has a plan for me specifically apparently."

"But why only you?" Jack asks, furrowing his brows and I shrug a bit.

"Wish I knew, mate."

"So what do we do?" Toothiana asks and I get up.

"All's I know is he wants to stop Easter for a second year in a row, and I'm not about to let that happen. You all keep a lookout for him, but I need to get back to the Warren and finish what I started. I can't let him slow me down, and I certainly can't risk losing the belief of everyone again."

"Alright, Bunny. We will be sure to tell you if we find him."

"Thanks, mate. Well, I'm off." I tap the ground with my foot and dive into my tunnels, speeding off toward my home with new resolve. I refuse to be beaten twice…

**And so ends chapter three. Reviews are loved, flames go away, and constructive criticism is appreciated. Thank you!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Well, the last chapter didn't get much love in terms of reviews, so I'm a bit disappointed, but the show must go on, and I've been procrastinating on this fic**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Rise of the Guardians.**

* * *

**Chapter Four**

"Alright mates, this is gonna be a big year for us. The sky's the limit, that's all I can say! We're going to pull out all the stops so the little ankle biters have the best Easter ever!" My little googies jump up and down with what I can only assume is excitement and a smile spreads across my lips.

The little eggs form their lines and begin running along the path through the fields of the spring flowers, the magic pollen painting them all shades of blues, pinks, yellows, and greens. I gather up some glitter and feathers and beads along with more paint to create even more beautiful eggs this year. Sure, it'll take a tick more time, but I think it'll be well worth it.

Half of the eggs leap into the purple river and the other half line up before me to be painted and decorated.

I tell you mates, I've made some beauties in my time, but I outdid myself in spades this year! Glittering little gems, flourishing feathers, colorful beads, these treasures will be a smash at the Easter egg hunts this year, I'm certain of it!

I take to a bit of quiet humming as I begin to attach some feathers along a red and yellow egg and it honestly caught me off guard when a small hang delicately plucks the egg from my hand.

"Ooh, Aster, it's lovely!" Tooth exclaims, beaming at the fiery egg. He can't help but offer a sheepish grin before going on to work on the next egg in line.

"I thought I'd pull out all the stops and create some new eggs. It takes some extra time, but I'm betting the children will love em."

"Absolutely. You've really outdone yourself," she says, kneeling over the group of completed eggs and admiring them. I can't help but feel a bit of pride well up in my chest at her approval and continue attaching swirls of glitter to the little blue egg in my paw.

"I appreciate that, Toothiana. So how's the hunt for Predias coming along." She sighs and shakes her head.

"We keep hitting dead end after dead end. He hasn't been able to do anything severe, but he also has been impossible to find. Santa's worried he might have moved on to another city and is causing havoc there."

"I doubt that…I'm sure we'd figure it out if something else was happening by now."

"I don't know…it's hard for us to watch over the entire world when we're so focused on that spot. My fairies haven't seen anything unusual yet, but I just have this bad feeling that the worst is yet to come."

"I know what you mean…" I mumble, frowning a bit. She sits on the grass and I set down my egg before scanning out a brilliant turquoise and green one before attaching some pink feathers and some gold and pink beads and glitter before handing it to her.

"What's this?" she asks, blinking in surprise.

"An early Easter present," I state simply with a small smile before going on to decorate another egg. "I'm sure your little fairies might like the colors too." Her sad, worried expression immediately melts away into a smile and she gently hugs the egg to her chest.

"Thank you, Aster. I love it." I nod and she draped one arm over my shoulder for a small hug, which isn't unwelcomed, though slightly unfamiliar. "Would you still like some extra help this year?"

"Of course. You and your little fairies are always welcome here." She claps her hands together happily and hovers off the ground again.

"Great! I'll go and gather up some of my fairies and we'll be back here in no time!"

"Ok, just be sure to be careful on the flight, ok? I don't want anything happening to you." She nods before flying off through one of the tunnels and I resume my work. Well, Toothiana really does have a charming presence about her that can typically raise your spirits.

And I am quite happy she likes the new eggs…especially the one I gave her.

I shake my head a bit and resume adding beads to the little pink and purple egg in my hand.

* * *

It's nearing nightfall and Toothiana hasn't come back with her fairies. I can't help but immediately ponder the worst before attempting to reassure myself with the idea that she might have gotten caught up with some extra tooth collecting.

Setting down the last egg for the day, I figure it can't hurt to pay a quick visit and make certain she's alright.

Racing through a tunnel, I arrive at her mountain quickly and tunnel directly into her palace to save some time.

"Tooth? Toothiana?" I call, smelling the air curiously. The castle is eerily quiet, reminiscent of the time her little fairies were kidnapped by Pitch last year and I shudder a bit before bounding forward, my boom-a-rangs at the read. "Toothiana?!"

"So good to see you again…" a familiar, drawling voice purrs from the shadows and I spin to see Predias standing before me, his hands folded behind his back.

"What have you done with her?" I growl, raising one of my boom-a-rangs above my head. "Answer me!"

"You certainly get quite twitchy whenever anything happens to that fairy, don't you?"

"O-of course I do! She's a guardian, as am I! You harm any one of us, and I'll be more than happy to knock a bloke or two!"

"But she's special to you, isn't she? If she were to, say, disappear…you'd be devastated."

"What are you prattling on about?" I growl, gritting my teeth.

"When Pitch destroyed the Sandman, you were distraught, but you were still able to fight. But if the Tooth Fairy were destroyed, you'd be completely crushed. You would feel empty, alone…hopeless."

"That's a poor word to use in front of me, mate. I _am_ hope. I will never give up that feeling, no matter what happens!"

"Words hold little meaning, guardian. Action…"

"If you attempt to harm her or any of the other guardians or children, I'll do more than throw a few eggs at you. No, mate…I'll destroy you!" I swear angrily and my fury only increases when he actually starts to laugh.

"I would genuinely love to see you attempt that, guardian."

"It'll be my pleasure!" I growl, flinging my boom-a-rangs at him and he seems to melt away, the boom-a-rangs passing harmlessly overhead and he appears again behind me, striking before I can turn around and knocking me to the floor.

"Hope is supposed to be the strongest force out there. Hope…love…dreams…but hope can never truly stop one thing."

"And what exactly is that?!"

"Despair…suffering…such powerful feelings that can kill hope from the roots and consumer the heart and the body and mind." I narrow my eyes and stand up shakily, picking up my boom-a-rangs again.

"What exactly are you, Predias?"

"Still can't figure it out, hm? Very well…I suppose I can go ahead and tell you. I am the harbinger of suffering, the monarch of desolation; I am the lord of despair. Thanks to the antics of that fool, Pitch, I have gained so much power from the fear he instilled in all of those children."

"Impossible!" He threw his head back and laughed again, his arms outstretched as a series of shadowy ravens encircled him.

"I will not rest until the world is plunged into an endless void of misery. You and those wretched guardians are the only obstacle in my path. It matters not to me if the children believe in you, so long as they are too miserable to even flash a glimmer of a smile…"

"We will stop you!"

"You cannot even find me or remedy those that fall under the curses of my ravens. How do you intend to stop me at this point?" he asked mockingly, chuckling and I tighten my grip.

"That's the thing…I don't have a bloody clue how we'll do it…but I **know** we can, because that's the way we work, mate. We are the guardians and we will protect the children, no matter who we're up against! You told me that hope will die, but you can't kill hope! No matter how much despair is born, hope will always exist in the hearts of children, and in the hearts of people in general. And hope is a light that cannot be extinguished, even by the darkest shadows. But I suppose you'll just have to find that out the hard way."

"Hmph. Deluded fool. You will soon learn your days are numbered."

"Funny, Pitch said something similar, and look where that got him!" I retort icily and Predias spreads his arms, the sleeves of his coat almost oozing down like an oil and forming misshapen wings and he flies toward me and I attack him with everything I have, not willing to back down from him again.

I know I struck him in the end and heard a blood curdling scream…but then I found myself back at the Warren, standing in the field with my eggs surrounding me.

"Ah, crickey! Did I dream through that again?!" I grunt furiously, kicking at the ground. My little eggs move around, indicating curiosity and confusion and I gently wave them off. "Don't worry, mates. It's nothing…"

I sit on the grass, sighing slightly as my head swims with the memory. That felt less like a dream and more like an actual confrontation.

This bloody git was worse than Pitch…more arrogant, more infuriating, and more powerful. I get the feeling he's merely toying with us, making us underestimate his brute force.

I considered going to the Pole to tell Santa about what I'd seen, but it didn't seem like it would do a thing to help in the search. But then again…acting like nothing happened wasn't the least bit logical, was it?

"Aster?"

My ears twitch and I turn around in time to see Toothiana fly in with a couple dozen of her fairies, beaming vividly.

"Sorry we took so long! There was the most adorable molar lost in Berlin, so I just had to go and retrieve it!" she gushed excitedly and I chuckled a bit.

"That's fine, Toothy. Are you and your little ones ready to get to work, then?"

"We're ready!" she said, saluting and her fairies followed suit.

"Very good, come along." I hop forward and guide them in the process of decorating the eggs and they all got to work, adding feathers and beads and glitter and paint. I take care to keep an eye out on my cottage where I prepare all the sweets on the off-chance she snaps and tries to sabotage the chocolates and cakes I'd prepared.

But, thankfully, everything went smoothly and, thanks to Toothiana and her fairies, I was able to get all of my beautiful googies ready with time to spare. I prepare us some tea and some (sugar-free) treats to celebrate a job well done.

"Thanks for all of your help, Tooth. I couldn't have done it without you."

"My pleasure, Aster. I mean, it's the least I can do after you helped me out last year."

"No trouble at all." She smiles and sips her tea, the fairies that stayed for the final round eating small bites of a piece of lemon cake happily. "Be sure to take some cake home to the rest of your fairies. Wouldn't be fair to leave em out."

"Of course, thank you, Aster."

"Mm-hmm."

"So are you excited for the big day?" she asks.

"Of course! Five days will feel like an eternity, though. Though…I'm a bit anxious about what Predias might try to do."

"What do you mean?"

"Well…after you left, I thought I finished preparing eggs for the day and night fell. You hadn't come here, so I went off to check on you. But your palace was empty, like you and all the fairies were captured." She went pale at the memory and I pat her arm. "Sorry, Tooth."

"No, no. Continue."

"So…the place was completely empty, and I heard someone laughing. He appeared in front of me and went on about how he was going to bring about nothing but despair in the world, and that our time was up…he came off as crazier than Pitch! And…I think he might be stronger."

"But how?"

"He says he got his power from the despair of children when Pitch attacked last year. I'm guessing all the fear and nightmares crushed them and brought about misery as well. His ravens, apparently, can curse people and cause this misery. I think that's how he started that fire and caused all those other things to happen."

"Aster, this sounds serious. We need to go to the Pole and tell Santa!"

"If I leave, he might come here and try to destroy Easter again. I have to stay here and protect my home, no matter what."

"Yes…you're right. Well, I'll go to the North Pole and tell Santa, alright?" She begins to fly off and I immediately grab her wrist, visibly startling her.

"S-sorry. But…could you…could you please come by once more after going to the Pole? I'm a bit paranoid now…" I mumble and her expression softens.

"Of course, Aster. If you'd like, you can use a few of my fairies to help you watch over the Warren. They're small, but they can spot just about anything from the air." I smile a bit and nod.

"Alright, that sounds good."

"Did you hear that girls? You'd better keep Aster and the Warren safe, understand?" she says and her little fairies salute and squeak obediently, earning a smile from their mother. "Very good. Well, I'm off. I'll be back as soon as I talk to Santa."

"Thank you, Tooth." She nods and flies off, a couple of fairies following, the rest staying with me. They look over at me and I can't help but smile a bit more. Toothiana's fairies are really adorable, and they are always so amusing to watch.

"Can you all watch over my eggs? I don't want to see them broken again his year." They nod and fly off and I clean up the kitchen quietly.

"_You really think that'll save Easter? A couple of little fairies? Heh, you're even more desperate than I thought."_

"If you think you can scare me, you're wrong, mate."

"_I __**know**__ that I scare you. I know you are afraid that I will successfully destroy you and what you represent, guardian. Why fight it?"_

"Go away," I growl, slamming a plate down onto the counter. "NOW!"

"_Hope will die…and it starts with Easter. Just you wait." _

I let out a furious shout and fling a plate, causing it to shatter against the wall and fall to the ground uselessly. As expected, I am alone in my kitchen…

Grunting, I go to sweep up the broken plate and toss it in the trash before I finish cleaning the rest of my kitchen. I have five days… Five days to protect all of my work, my holiday…and the hope I bring with it.

I sit down again, grabbing my head with a low sigh as my fears begin to materialize inside of my mind. How do we stop him?

He seems able to appear anywhere at any time and haunts my nightmares… This isn't the lord of fear, it's the lord of despair, so what other tricks can he do?

These questions plague me for hours until I feel a cold chill of wind and turn to see Jack.

"What's the problem, mate?" I ask, immediately noticing his expression.

"Tooth and Sandman are missing." I jump up instantly, eyes widening.

"What?!"

"Come on, we need to go."

"You don't have to tell me twice."

* * *

…**yeah. Ok, not much more to say other than please review, don't flame. Annnnd that's all I've got.**


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